Well-cleaning device.



M. OWEN;

WELL CLEANING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED mum-:14. I911.

1 262 241 0 Patented Apr. 9,1918. lz iql. 1 4g. 2.

\w mW l nin- WELL-CLEANING DEVICE.

Specification of Letter-s Ifatent.

Patented Apr. 9,1918.

Application filed June 14, 1917. Serial No. 174,807.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ll/TATHIAS Owns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chandler, in the county of Montgomery, State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Well-Cleaning Device; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to a well cleaning device, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby dirt or sediment accumulating within a well, or any foreign article which may have been accidentally dropped into the well can be quickly removed at any time without difficulty.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a well cleaning device'which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be easily placed in position within any conventional well, which will not interfere with the flow of water within the well, and which will enable accumulations of dirt or foreign matter to be easily removed at any time.

W'ith these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description pro-. ceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

, For a full understanding of the invention, reference, is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings. in which Figure, 1 is a transverse vafitical sectional view through a well cleaning device constructed in accordance with the invention. showing the same as applied in an operative position to a conventional well.

Fig. 2 is a similar view. showing the mannor of lowering the device into the well.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the well showing the well cleaning device in top planview.

(lorresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character C designates a well casing which may be of any conventional construction. A dished plate 1 formed'with a large central opening is permanently applied to the lower end of the well casing G, the edge of the opening in the plate being preferably reinforced at 2 and providing a seat for engagement with the eXteriorly proj ecting sup-porting flange 3 of a straining bucket or cage 1 which is'reniovably supported bythe dished plate. The bottom of the'bucket 1 is preferably imperforate, while the sides thereof are provided with openings 5 through which the water can flow freely.

Props 6 project downwardly from the dished plate 1 to prevent the latter from being forced downwardly to such an extent that the bucket & would rest upon the bottom of thewell instead of being supported by the plate. These props?) are of a suitable length to hold the'dished plate 1 at a proper elevation above the bottom of the well sothat the straining bucket l will be entirely supported by the plate and prevented from resting upon the well bottom. The dishedplate 1 may be constructed in any suitable manner, although it is shown as formedv with a radial slit 7 ,the edges'of which are initially overlapped to contract the dished plate when it being lowered into position within-the well casing. A A split spring ring 8 is applied to the outer periphery of the dished plate 1 and normally tends to expand the same into a tight engagement with the well casing. When loweringthe dished plate into position a pin 9 may be inserted through corresponding pei'rforations 10 in the overlapping edges of the slit '7 to hold the dished plate in a contracted condition. When the plate 1 is properly positioned, the pin 9 can be withdrawn, by any suitable means such as a. cord 11, and the spring 8 permitted to expand the dished plate 7 into a tight engagement with the well casing.

The straining bucket 4; is also provided at its upper 12 which is adapted to be engaged by pivoted pawls 13 pendent from a grapple 1 1. This grapple 14 has an arched formation and is provided at its middle portion with an eye 15 which is engaged by a cable 16, said cable being employed for raising and lowering the grapple within the well casing. The pawls 13 are provided with eyes 13, and a cord 17 is connected to one of the.

end with an interior shoulder eyes 1.3 and threaded through the other eye 13 and the eye 15 of the grapple. This cord extends to the top of the well and it will be obvious that by pulling upon the same the pawls 18 can be swung inwardly toward each other and held in an inoperative position.

The dished plate 1 is designed to remain permanently at the bottom of the well casing while the straining bucket 4 is removably supported thereby and can be raised and lowered as desired, by using the grapple 14. In order to lower the straining bucket 4. into position,,the pawlsl3 of the grapple are placed in engagement with the interior shoulder at the mouth of the bucket and the bncketlowored downwardly through the well casing by means of the cable 16. When the bucket is properly seated within the dished plate 1 the cord 17 is pulled upon to release the pawls l3 and the grapple 14 removed from the well, leaving the straining bucket A in position. Should it be desired to remove the straining bucket for the purpose of cleaning the well, the grapple 1 5 is lowered through the well casing with the pawls 13 held in inoperative position by means of the cord 17 When the grapple reaches the lower limit of its movement the cord 1'? is released and the pawls 18 thereby permitted to swing outwardly into posi tion for engaging the interior shoulder 12 of the straining bucket. The bucket can then be drawn to the top of the well, and any sediment or foreign matter which may have collected therein easily removed. This construction enables the well to be readily cleaned at anytime. It will be obvious that when applying the invention to a large well there will be no necessity for using the cable 11 in connection with the pin 9, for the reason that the overlapping edges of the slit 7 in the dished plate can be properly adjusted and bolted together by an operator in the well. The manner of operation of the invention will be the same, however, for both large and small wells, and in either instance the straining bucket can be readily drawn to the top of the well for the purpose of removing any foreign objects or obstructions which may have dropped into the well or accumulated therein.

Having thus described the invention,

what I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 2- 1.: A well cleaning device including a dished plate formed with a central opening and adapted to be permanently mounted at therbottom of a well with the outer edges thereofin engagement with the well casing, and a straining bucket fittedremovably within the opening of the dished plate and resting upon the edges of the said opening.

2. A well cleaning device including an expansible dished plate having a central opening and adapted'to be permanently expanded into position within the well casing at the bottom of the well, and a straining bucket fitted removably within the opening of the dishedplate.

3. A well cleaning device including an expansible dished plate having a central opening and formed with .a radial slit the edges of which are adapted to be overlapped to contract the plate, a split springring applied to the edges of the dished plate for expanding the same into a firm engagement with the well casing, and a straining bucket fitted removably within the opening of the dished plate. A. A well cleanin device including an expansible dished plate having a central opening and adapted to'be permanently expanded into engagement with the well casing at the bottom of a well, props projecting downwardly from the dished plate for holding the same in a properly elevated position, and a straining bucket fitted removably within the opening of the dished plate.

5. A well cleaning device including a dished plate having a central opening and adapted to be permanently fitted within the well casing at the bottom of a well, props projecting downwardly from the dished plate for supporting it in an 'ele- O. E. STONER, J. D. LOOKOHILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

